Qatar Wins FIFA World Cup 2022
In December 2010, FIFA (the International Federation of Association Football) announced that the 2022 World Cup soccer event would be hosted by Qatar.
Qatar, which had previously hosted the Asian Games in 2006, will be the first Arab nation to host the FIFA World Cup.
As the World Cup is held in June and July, when the European soccer teams are in their off-season, a major challenge will be the extreme heat of the country. (Anecdotally, when we visited in late September 2009, it was about 52C (125F) and near 100% humidity – though we were informed that humidity is rare.)
According to the Qatar bid, 12 eco-friendly, carbon-neutral stadiums will be built. These will "…harness the power of the [sun's] rays to provide a cool environment for players and fans by converting solar energy into electricity that will then be used to cool both fans and players. When games are not taking place, the solar installations at the stadiums will export energy onto the power grid. During matches, the stadiums will draw energy from the grid. This is the basis for the stadiums' carbon-neutrality." The designs for nine of the stadiums include removable upper tiers of seating, allowing these upper tiers to be delivered to developing countries, which are lacking in sports infrastructure, after the event.
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